Fever Dreams
by MasterMartin
Summary: Callie gets sick, and Marina is forced to look after her. But they're not the Callie and Marina you're familiar with. They're Warmongers, corrupted by grief and incredibly loopy. So one is a Southern-speaking drunk, and the other is emotionally unstable with a robotic arm. So their interaction will be a little...different. Created as practice for briefer, shorter stories.


**War Splats Nu-Base - City Outskirts  
Neo Inkopolis, SPLAT-35  
December 28th, 14119**

"Callie! There you are! Where the fffffffffuck have you been? Her Majesty's been looking for you."

"Outside in the snow...I wanted to have some fun...f-for once."

"Callie...are you okay? You did wrap up warm and didn't stay out too long, right?"

"I c-...I can't...I didn't...I just wanted to...so...h-hot..."

**[THUMP]**

"CALLIE! Callie wake up! CALLIE PLEASE!"

"What exactly do you mean, turbo-fever?" War Pearl growled, pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration.

"Well, she collapsed in front of me! It's certainly nothing normal," War Marie crossed her arms and grimaced, as she did. She looked back over the sleeping War Callie, having dragged her unconscious body back to the common room in a state beyond panic. Callie had been stripped to her underwear and covered by a blanket, robotic arm detached and lying on the floor next to the red sofa she lay on. Marie looked up at her boss, "I'm not exactly trained in medicine, but I know the flu when I see it. Pretty bad, too. How the shell did she get it so fast?"

"...Marina..." War Pearl grumbled, turning to her partner-in-chief and grimacing, "You didn't bring one of your prototype superviruses to the new base, did you?"

"NO!" War Marina yelped, defensively. There was an awkward pause before, "Well okay, maybe ah did...b-but, it was an accident!"

"Carp, I remember that..." Marie sighed, placing a gloved hand to her cousin's forehead; even through the fabric, she was burning up and caked with sweat. Her expression a grimace, born of pained sleep, "Designed to knock you on your ass in seconds...never got any further than that, though. Good ffffucking thing I was wearing gloves when I dragged her in."

"Marina," War Pearl sighed, "We locked those things up for a reason! A superflu's no good if WE'RE infected by it, too!" a short, harsh sigh escaped her, "Why does this always have to happen when I don't want things goin' wrong?! I needed her for an assignment, it was IMPERTINENT we have a healer on this trip!"

"Well, find another Drone," War Marie grumbled, arching over War Callie and placing a wet towel on her forehead, "Or make another Restorator or something. I've gotta take care of her now."

"No," War Pearl said forcefully, "You're the best Drone I have, better with a shooter than anyone. Always need you, when it...inevitably goes hairy. I can find someone to hire for healing, I suppose. But YOU are a mainstay. I'll get someone else to look after her."

"Someone?" War Marina asked, punctuated with a gassy belch, "Like who?"

"Like you."

"WHAT?!" War Marie exploded, "You can't seriously put that drunkard in charge of MY COUSIN!"

"Perhaps," War Pearl shrugged, "But everyone else is still in jail, remember? That's what this damn mission is for in the first place. Gotta break 'em out."

War Marie's face went blank, "...Oh yeah."

"I don't like it any more then you do, but she'll do well enough, considering who we have right now."

"Me?" War Marina asked after an uncomfortably long pause, "Ah gotta look after her? B-But why ain't ah comin' to this?"

"Well, we needed someone back at base," War Pearl explained, "Just in case we got another Smiler attack. We simply can't leave this place undefended. And YOU know how all the traps and turrets work, right? You might as well look over her, now."

"I'm sorry, but this is madness!" War Marie growled, "Which, is par for the course for us, but still! You can't keep someone that's always sloshed in charge of looking after someone who needs more constant care! That superflu's instantly infectious on the smallest flesh-to-flesh touch! She could infect the entire base!"

"And ah wanna come break up the jail!" War Marina stomped like a child, "Ah wanna kill the guards! Ah wanna-"

"NO MORE" War Pearl bellowed, her eyes glowing with their signature sheen. Both War Marie and War Marina could feel their bodies tense up, control switched to obey their queen in the hierarchy. War Pearl continued, "Now, this is how we're going to do it. I will take my best soldier with me to break out the rest of my team. And YOU, hopefully somewhat sober, will look after the sick while we're gone. Understand?" the two nodded automatically, "Good..."

War Marina felt control over her body cease and she flopped over, "Gah...ah hate it when that happens...always gives me a splittin' headache, on TOPPA the splittin' headache from the booze!"

"Look, you'll...probably be fine," War Marie sighed, her resolve already gone, "Just...get her some blankets, some water, some movies to watch when she comes to. Make her some soup when she wakes up, keep a bucket nearby in-case she's sick, and maybe a towel if you need to touch her directly. I took a medical kit from her infirmary, so use that if she needs it. And DON'T fall asleep and ignore her. Or there'll be uproar when I get back."

"...Awright," War Marina sighed, resigned to her fate.

"Excellent," War Pearl smiled deviously, as she was wont to do, "Now, Marie. Let's go get you some firepower. Later, Rin-Rin."

"Whatever..." War Marina sighed again, watching the gremlin and her puppet vanish around the wall leading to the armoury. She grumbled, looking down at the still-sleeping Callie. She was still, chest rising and falling smoothly, her breathing a pained wheeze. She dug out a bottle of Octoscotch from her person, and opened it with a pop sound. She growled as she took a swig, "Freakin' superflu...who's idea was that, anyways?! Oh, right...mine. To heck with this, I'mma go take a nap. She'll be fine for an hour or two. Ah'm sure of it."

Callie was not fine.

She shuffled in her sheets, turning this way and that as she babbled and groaned in her stupor. She was asleep, barely, but struggling with whatever was in her dreams. She was running a high fever, sweating profusely, a dank sickness pooling in her stomach. She was in so much pain She cried out, shuffling around some more and gripping her head as it pounded with headache.

"M-Marie..." she groaned in pain. No response, of course. Her ears rang, snot dribbling out of her nose, tears leaking from her eyes and a lump of phlegm jammed in her throat. She cried out again, louder, "Mariiiiiiiiiie!"

But War Marie was long gone. All that remained in the base was War Marina, sound asleep in her personal sleeping quarters down the hall. She was proud of such a fact, actually. Those two sisters had to share a room, but Marina? Well, she got a room all to herself, covered head to toe in workshop AND brewery equipment. She was lying on the sofa she kept in the room, which overlooked a TV and some more booze. She was splayed out, hand resting on her stomach, the other clutching an empty bottle. Her snores were loud and nasally, but even she could still hear fragments of the Squid Sister's struggles. But she ignored them, too drunk and blissed out for the role she was assigned.

And then, a scream. A loud, shrill, powerful scream of the utmost fear and dread. Even this mighty wail was enough to awaken War Marina with the mother of all jolts, catapulting her from the sofa and onto the floor. She got up, groaning and rubbing at the side she landed on. Yep, THAT was going to cause some bruising. She looked up towards the exit to her room, towards the hall.

The screaming continued. Panicked. Weakened. Almost...pleading?

"Marie wake up, please! PLEASE!"

"Callie?!" War Marina gasped, all of a sudden remembering the one job she had to do. Grabbing the bucket and a large towel, she rushed down the hall towards the common rooms that the Squidsters also called their sleeping quarters. She barged in to come across quite the sight. War Callie had flung herself from the sofa and was now on the floor, shivering violently and lashing out randomly. She was drenched with sweat, her cries weakened and gravelly from the sore throat. She was crying heavily, grunting and screaming.

"Oh Cod, this LEATHER!" War Callie wailed, grabbing at her undershirt and tugging on it, "Get it off me! GET IT OFF ME!"

She was having another nightmare! Those things were bad when she was lucid! War Marina sprang into action; towel gripped around her hands, she grabbed the shoulders of the pale squid and shook her with all her might; "It's alright, Cal! It's just a dream! Wake up!"

Finally, Callie did indeed wake. She breathed heavily, rapidly, her breath wheezing and shallow. She tried to calm, breathing in and out, her body slowly slowing but still stiffening up. She looked up to see the calming yellow eyes of her superior. She mumbled, "M-Marina...?" before she groaned again, clasping at her head with her one remaining hand. The ringing, the accursed ringing! There was a lurch in her stomach as her light-headedness signalled for a...purge. She looked around in terror, trying to stave it off, "B-Bucket!" she cried out, "Bucket!"

War Marina placed the bucket underneath her, and stood back. Callie being sick was...not a pretty sight; she opened her mouth to scream in pain, and a gush of green ink tumbled out instead. There was a sick gurgle as it splashed into the bucket. Another retch, another round of the sick. And then another. She retched again, but nothing came out this time. She finally gave up and collapsed to the side of the bucket. She paused for a few seconds. And then, as she was wont to do, she began to sob pitifully into the cold stone floor that did nothing for her raging temperature.

War Marina gulped. She was in an absolute state. How long did her little nap last? She checked the clock on the wall. It read 5:34PM.

Three hours had passed without even basic treatment.

Shit.

Deeply fearing a response from the other Squid Sister, War Marina took to cleaning up the mess. Setting the worryingly-heavy bucket aside, she wrapped War Callie in the towel and slowly got her to her feet. Her legs shivered intensely, and practically buckled as she lowered herself to the sofa, crashing into it with a grunt. War Marina reached for the thermometer War Marie had left earlier and took her temperature. She was too sloshed to really read the results, but...yep, it was high. She was burning up. War Marina dipped into the medical kit and fished about. One of those cooling gel pads came out. Good.

"Callie gurl..." War Marina said, trying to speak as softly as she could, "Ah got somethin' for the fever...head up," War Callie sniffled, but did so. War Marina placed the pad upon her forehead, being careful to not touch her skin. The soothing gel was bliss to the burning Squidster, and she sighed as some semblance of normalcy returned to her battered senses. War Marina dug back into the bag and pulled out some painkillers. It wasn't much, but it was something. She gave them to her, then tipped some water from the bottle by her side into her mouth once she had taken. War Callie remained silent for some time as the drugs took effect. The ringing subsided, just a little. She looked up at War Marina like a scared little kid.

"M-Marina..." she repeated, "T-Thank you..."

"Welcome? Ah...guess?" War Marina struggled, "Just...hot damn, you scared the shit outta me! What happened in there?" War Callie looked down again, a look of sadness across her face. War Marina's own softened, "...Aw hell, was it another nightmare?" a nod from the Squidster, "...You wanna talk about it?"

"I want..." Callie gurgled, "Something to...e-eat..."

"Dey left ya soup..." War Marina shrugged, to which War Callie shrugged as well. It wasn't exactly like she had a choice in the matter, after all. It was soup or nothing. Trudging to the zone they set aside for the kitchen, War Marina cracked open some mushroom soup and began to watch it bubble over the stove. It would take a while, so she trudged back over to the sick Sister, who was still sitting there, taking a sip from the bottled water. War Marina sighed, "Well, it's on...ya wanna talk while it's doin'?"

"I suppose..." War Callie sighed, "Can I...have my arm, please?"

War Marina nodded, reaching down to pick up the prosthetic arm from the floor. She was already in pain, one supposed, so it wasn't really much more to do this. With a count to three, War Marina placed the arm onto the stump and hit the clamp. There was a creak as the clamp tightened, slamming the needles into her skin. War Callie would probably make a sound, had she had any voice left to scream with. She took the towel draped around her and began to clean off the splattered ink as the tubes running down her arm slowly filled with magenta ink. The pain faded as the painkillers were injected, and before long she lifted the arm and twiddled the fingers to check it was working properly. She got a better grip on her water bottle, hugging herself with her free hand.

"Awright..." War Marina sighed, "So...you sure you wanna talk about it? Ah don't think we ever...discussed it."

"Thought it was just natural..." War Callie grumbled, "We're all not right in the head. We all have nightmares. How many times have YOU woken up screaming because your own...d-diseased brain made you relive what made you crack?!"

War Marina stared off into the distance as visions of that event came flooding back to her. Every Warmonger had it different - for Marina, the sight of her Pearl, crumpled and bleeding at the bottom of the Shoal staircase, that was a sight she would never forget. She turned to the Sister and sighed, "More times than ah dare to count."

"...I-It was different, t-this time..." War Callie sniffled, "W-Well, it STARTED the same. I was...I was there, i-in that arena. Dressed in that...that whore outfit Octavio put on me, shades over my eyes...Agent 4 dead on the floor. Marie...in front of me. I grasped her throat with my hand, my right...hand..." she accentuated by raising her robotic arm up, "And then, Octavio he...he commands me to break her neck! I-I don't even know how that's possible! We don't have bones!"

"Well..." War Marina mumbled, "It's complicated..."

"Oh Cod, it's the same every time!" War Callie wailed, "I was in my own head, screaming, PLEADING please don't do this! But...I did. There's this crack, and then she falls to the floor...d-dead..."

"Oh mah..." War Marina gasped. She had never heard this before...surprisingly. She wasn't really the hugging type, so she just put an arm around her towel-blanketed torso.

"And then...something new..." War Callie grunted as she grasped her temples, "I just...maybe because I'm so sick, I dunno. But I...suddenly, I'm lying in the void. Back in my normal clothes, robot arm...everything. I see Marie's body off in the distance...and then, me! I-I see me, in the leather getup! But she's not wearing the shades, a-and...she's got those eyes the Elites had!"

"Oh dear..." War Marina gasped again. She knew what Cal was talking about. Those green eyes that the Elites had. Nothing more than a sign of total servitude to Octavio. It made them look...diseased, as far as she was aware.

"A version of me that...she said she enjoyed being Octavio's slave!" War Callie cried, her voice cracking, her composure failing, "She said she was right at home at his side, s-said that Marie deserved what she got! I kept screamin' no, no that's not true! She was taunting me...s-so much! She said I was weak! T-That I deserved all the pain and suffering I got!" she took a few seconds to catch her breath, in...out...in...out, slowly. She calmed, just a little bit, and cleared her throat, "A-And then...well, then I wake up. Thanks to you...that's, not like you at all."

"Well...ah still stuffed it up..." War Marina admitted, "Ah...took an hour's nap that turned into...like, three?"

"Your bedside manners are as good as ever," War Callie almost-joked, a small chuckle escaping her throat, alongside another retch. War Marina quickly slid the bucket over, cursing as a little of the sick splashed onto the ground, and rubbed War Callie's back as another wave of sick came splashing into the bucket. She coughed, wiping her mouth and sighed, "It's...so unfair. I'm the healer of this team but I can't heal myself...this damn superflu!"

"Mah bad..."

"...What were you even...n-never mind," War Callie sighed, "...Where is everyone? W-Where's Marie?!"

"Dey went out on this little...breakout operation," War Marina grumbled, "Gettin' everyone outta jail. Left me behind...is because ah'm drunk?! Yeah, it probably is...ah was all that's left to look after you..."

"W-Won't you get sick, though?" War Callie asked.

"Heh heh, nah," War Marina chuckled, "Ah was the one that made that there superflu. Ah'm immune to it, if only due to...so much exposure. Ah was gonna make awla us immune, but...well, those darn Smilers attacked and we had to get outta dodge. Ah was tryin' to improve it, but, it's gone now. When it get outta you, as long as you don't infect nobody else, that'll be that."

War Callie looked down, "Sorry..."

"Eh, don't be...was a dumb idea anyways...ah'm just happy it works, heh heh!" she cackled, before she looked at War Callie's sad, puppy-dog face. She stared to the floor, "Sorry...say, your soup should be done right about now..."

She shambled back over to the kitchen and hey, it was! A little burnt, but eh. Beggers couldn't be choosers. Pouring the soup into a bowl, she walked back to the Sister and grabbed the spoon. She was sure Callie could feed herself, so she gave the bowl to her and watched as she began to hungrily eat the soup. She was silent, bar the clinking of the spoon against the bowl and the splashing of the soup as she made a mess of eating it. War Marina reached up to wipe some of the residue that dribbled down the corner of her mouth as she ate, and placed the bowl on the floor as she was done. War Callie sighed, "That's...better?"

"Well, it's better than nothin'," War Marina sighed, "You should probably get some more rest, Ah'm sure the others'll be back soon...it's been a few hours, they should be."

"Okay..." War Callie sighed, throwing the blankets back on top of her and lying on the sofa. She closed her eyes and tried to sleep, with some sort of success. War Marina turned to leave, but before she could make it out the door; "M-Marina?" she turned back to the Squid Sister and hummed her response. War Callie shifted to sit up again, her face nervous if not fearful, "A-About my dream...you don't think there's a me out there, do you? Like, one that really is that loyal to that freak?"

War Marina paused for a few seconds, careful with her words for once, "Well...if there is, ah'm sure her friends will stop her. And if we run into her, well, we'll show her a thing or two!"

"Y-Yeah!" War Callie cheered, "For...Marie."

"Exactly. Now, get some sleep, gurl."

"Alright...t-thank you, Marina..." War Callie sighed.

"Don't mention it..." War Marina grinned as she left the room. War Callie sighed and snuggled deep into her blankets. She was dreaming easier now. She could see her Marie pull her into a hug in a flower field. She was stroking her hair. She was so proud of her, she said. She cried in her sleep, tears of joy. For once.

===

"Alright, everybody, we're home!" War Pearl yelled out in a triumphant manner as the group burst through the opening into the base. It was evening, a full six hours since the start of the operation; granted about half of that was planning but oh well. A stream of wounded but free Warmongers spilled into the base after War Pearl;

War Marie, clad in leather jacket and clutching a well-used rifle in her hands. War Meggy, quite the icon some time ago, brushing off her beanie as she walked in. War Rider, he too wearing the Inky Rider that he would take his own name from. War Ika, clutching her head as her two personas fought once again. War Shocker, his robotic joints clanking as he shambled after the others. And finally, War Raidark, clad in his ghillie suit and expressing himself in the same dour way as he always did.

The group got into the lobby, where they began to disperse and do their own things. War Marie seemed...oddly pumped. She must have killed quite a few Octolings on their trip; "Whew, that was the most fun thing we ever did!"

"Was it really?" War Meggy grumbled, poking a finger through the fresh bullet hole in her beanie. She threw it to the ground in a huff, digging an identical black one out of her pocket and stretching that onto her head instead.

"Well, it was fun for me..." War Pearl chuckled, "And we made a new friend."

"A new Warmonger."

"Y-Yes, Ika, a new one," War Pearl shivered at Ika's hollow voice, "A Restorator...an Octoling, but whatever. What're the odds?"

"Pity she ran off," War Meggy sighed, "We could do with a better, less sniffly medic in this base."

"AHEM!" War Marie growled, eyeballing the Inkling with a snarl to her face. She sighed, before she perked up, "Oh, right, that reminds me!" walking off down the hall, then down the staircase, she walked into the common area that she had left Callie in earlier, "Callie, we're home!"

Callie rose from the sofa. She was dressed back in her normal clothing, or at least a fresh pair while the ones she wore outside were in the wash. She had her arm on, she seemed healthy enough; "Oh, hey Marie..." she chirped, her voice still somewhat froggy but otherwise clearer, "How'd it go?"

"Well, the entire prison's in flames," War Raidark grumbled, suppressing a smile, "It was...kind of awesome, not gonna lie."

"We're all accounted for, more or less," War Marie sighed, brushing off some ash from her jacket, "So we're settling in now. How're you?"

"Much better!" she grinned, smiling happily, "I think the superflu strain was breaking down...I feel good as new!" she broke the streak with a wheezing cough. She wiped her mouth with a tissue and pocketed it, "Kinda..."

"...Did Marina act like a scudsucker?"

"N-No!" War Callie jumped, shaking her head as fast as she dared without bringing on a headache, "She was on her best behaviour..."

"Good..." War Marie smiled in a weirdly smug fashion, "Shouldn't have to introduce her to a lead pipe or two, then..."

"Well, another day or so's rest should see you good," War Pearl barked, stomping into the room with her hands behind her back. She scowled in the sick squid's direction, "I would like you back in the fight soon as possible. Is that clear?"

War Callie sniffled, looking down to the ground, "Yes...your majesty..."

"Pearl, she's sick," War Marie bent down and growled in her face, "Be nice."

"No," War Pearl shoved the face aside and looked around, "Hey, speaking of sickness...MARINA!" she yelled loudly into the corridor. A pause, one that went on for several seconds. She huffed, "...Nothing? Hmm. Rider, go check on her."

"I get out of a cell and already I'm back in one," War Rider growled, stumbling off towards War Marina's room. There was a pause, and then he returned, "...Yeah, she's ill."

"What?!" was all that escaped War Pearl's lips before she exploded into a stomped amble towards her Tactician's room. Escaping even the knock, she kicked the door open and looked inside. A sound of disbelief and anger escaped her throat, and she locked up in fury.

War Marie followed her, clomping over to the doorframe and looking in. She took a single look, and sighed harshly, "Oh for fffffffffffuck's sake..."

For inside War Marina's room, she was there, crumpled in bed and buried in blankets. She was groaning, sweating a horrendous amount, blood dribbling from her nose, eyes bloodshot. Sick...sick EVERYWHERE. She was already busy emptying her guts into the bucket by her bed. She ceased, finally turning to look up at the two.

"Ah think..." War Marina cried, arm shaving violently as she propped herself up from the floor,"Ah think Callie gurl developed a new strain...and ah got it. Ah'm so proud of he-UUUUURGH!"

"...You know what? To Hell with this..." War Pearl threw her hands up in utter defeat and trundled back down the hallway, "HAS ANYONE GOT ANY MUSHROOM SOUP?!"

**[END]**


End file.
